Infection is an invasion of a host organism by a foreign organism, generally to the detriment of normal function in the host. In treating humans and other animals for infection and post-infective inflammatory disease (e.g. septic shock), practitioners usually rely on chemical compounds known to have antibiotic affects, whether antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, or the like.
Unfortunately, many pathogens have become resistant to current antibiotic treatments. Antibiotic resistance is therefore an increasingly significant clinical issue, calling for novel antibiotics. Especially valuable would be new antimicrobial adjuvant compounds, which, while not necessarily antimicrobial themselves, can increase the potency, efficacy, and/or spectrum of activity of antibiotics when co-administered or given as combination therapy. There is a need for new antimicrobials and new antimicrobial adjuvant compounds.